Determined not to let a little thing like losing a leg get him down, Mr McHugh shunned the sympathy card, instead adopting the moniker 'Sydney's Happiest Amputee'.

"I'm just happy to be alive," Mr Mchugh said.

"I actually get more upset about being woken up at midnight for a tablet than the accident itself."

Mr McHugh's infectious happy-go-lucky attitude appears to be resonating with the public – a fund set up to help cover the cost of his medical bills has already surpassed its $7,000 goal, prompting his family to set up a new fund to help with the ongoing costs of prosthesis.

"This week I'm getting the first initial part of my leg, but the costs are going to be quite consistent, so any small change that someone can drop into the bucket will help," he said.

Mr McHugh credits positive approach to life with the continuing support he's received not only from his family and friends, but also from the rescuers and now the team at the Graythwaite Rehabilitation Centre in Ryde.

"First thing I said to my family when I woke up was; 'I'm here, oh cool, awesome,'" Mr McHugh said.

"Then I looked down and saw the leg and told my family 'oh it'll grow back' – they thought I was being serious and that the hospital drugs must’ve gotten to me".

"I can't go back and change time. I've been given a second chance at life, that's the way I look at it. Sure, I've lost a bit of a leg but I've been given a second life," he said.

As for the future, Mr McHugh now plans to pay the charity forward, and hopes to one day use his message to raise funds for other amputees.

"It's like a circle of life," he said.

"I can't wait for the moment that I can walk right into the room of the people that saved me and shake their hands. That will be amazing."